Quoted in the Corriere dello Sport, Bongiorno said: "The defensive strategy of Carobbio is clear - to try and avoid a criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud.

"Carobbio accused Conte to deflect attention from his own role in the match-fixing.

"As far as this disciplinary committee is concerned, Carobbio never lies, he is 100% infallible. He is God-like."

De Rensis told La Stampa: "(Conte) is determined and relaxed. It was really hard to convince him to enter a plea bargain but now he is ready to stand up and make his reasons heard."

Stefano Palazzi, one of the FIGC prosecutors who handed Conte and Alessio their suspensions, responded in support of Carobbio, who received a 26-month ban from football for his alleged involvement.

Palazzi told the Corriere dello Sport: "All Carobbio's declarations are supported by the police investigations and the phone contact between the betting world and the footballers involved."

The court will hear appeals from other clubs affected by the 'Calcioscommesse' verdicts tomorrow, including Cremona, Bari, Lecce and Grosseto, the latter pair having been punished with demotion to the Lega Pro.

The results of the various appeals are expected to be announced from Wednesday.